out the voyage. And I was very glad that Mr. Mellaire
was not to eat with us at all.

I am afraid that Miss West and I did most of the talking. She was
breezy, vivacious, tonic, and I noted again that the delicate, almost
fragile oval of her face was given the lie by her body. She was a
robust, healthy young woman. That was undeniable. Not fat--heaven
forbid!--not even plump; yet her lines had that swelling roundness that
accompanies long, live muscles. She was full-bodied, vigorous; and yet
not so full-bodied as she seemed. I remember with what surprise, when we
arose from table, I noted her slender waist. At that moment I got the
impression that she was willowy. And willowy she was, with a normal
waist and with, in addition, always that informing bodily vigour that
made her appear rounder and robuster than she really was.

It was the health of her that interested me. When I studied her face
more closely I saw that only the lines of the oval of it were delicate.
Delicate it was not, nor fragile. The flesh was firm, and the texture of
the skin was firm and fine as it moved over the firm muscles of face and
neck. The neck was a beautiful and adequate pillar of white. Its flesh
was firm, its skin fine, and it was muscular. The hands, too, attracted
me--not small, but well-shaped, fine, white and strong, and well cared
for. I could only conclude that she was an unusual captain's daughter,
just as her father was an unusual captain and man. And their noses were
alike, just the hint-touch of the beak of power and race.

While Miss West was telling of the unexpectedness of the voyage, of how
suddenly she had decided to come--she accounted for it as a whim--and
while she told of all the complications she had encountered in her haste
of preparation, I found myself casting up a tally of the efficient ones
on board the _Elsinore_. They were Captain West and his daughter, the
two mates, myself, of course, Wada and the steward, and, beyond the
shadow of a doubt, the cook. The dinner vouched for him. Thus I found
our total of efficients to be eight. But the cook, the steward, and Wada
were servants, not sailors, while Miss West and myself were
supernumeraries. Remained to work, direct, do, but three efficients out
of a total ship's company of forty-five. I had no doubt that other
efficients there were; it seemed impossible that my first impression of
the crew should be correct. There was the carpenter. He mig